"What I really liked about WSSS was that it brought together people from different disciplines. When you’re in
UEP, you’re with the people in UEP, and when you’re in engineering, you’re with the people in engineering.
Same with nutrition or medicine or history or Fletcher. I got to know a lot of other graduate students from
all over Tufts who I wouldn’t have otherwise; I’m still in touch with all of them. My experience at Tufts
would have been very different had I not gotten the WSSS certificate."

"During the seminars I was really impressed by the caliber and type of research that was being
done by the students. WSSS brought all of the different disciplines together; it was really great to
be able to meet and work with some of the people in the nutrition school and in engineering and to
see their research – it's very different from what we're doing at UEP."

"With WSSS, suddenly you’re not with only...like-minded people – you have conversations with
engineers, public health or nutrition students, or students from the Fletcher school. When
you’re sitting in class there’s a little more back-and-forth. People are coming from different
areas, which broadens the discussion. I think it’s going to be different every year because of
the mix of students and levels of involvement from the participating schools – that changes
the dynamics."

"I was impressed by the personal relationships I developed with people in a wide variety of disciplines. Their insights – in conversations in the hallway, after classes, in the library – really served me well. They were able to give me perspective on what might have become a very focused, discipline-specific research project I was working on. Some of those conversations led me down interesting, interdisciplinary paths in my own graduate research. "

"In WSSS most people get a broad perspective on water resource issues, so when you get out into the water field you can draw on that background – skills as well as knowledge. For example, classes like GIS or systems engineering gave me practical skills; classes like hydrology or integrated water resource management gave me exposure to a lot of issues. At Tufts I picked up a broad range of knowledge about water – with a focus on specific areas – and also the ability to publish and write analytically, and convey messages clearly and concisely."

"In engineering education, it's often about being technically excellent... but you can't
learn everything, and there's real value in other things. I took classes in Public Health;
I took classes in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and in Economics... I believe
pretty strongly that what I learned from economics, public health, statistics and policy
classes that took while at Tufts is at least as relevant to what I'm doing now in the Middle
East – water systems planning and management – then further education in
traditional Civil Engineering curriculum would be."

"The conceptualization of the whole program was exciting to me. I’m an engineer by
training – my undergrad was in engineering – so even though I ended up in Public
Health, I’ve always looked at the world as one big system. This program [WSSS] is really
systematic, too, in how it sees the world as interconnected via this issue of water.
All issues are interconnected, from poverty to food systems to health care to
infrastructure. It really suited my nature."

"The interdisciplinary nature of the WSSS program was the primary reason I came to Tufts.
With an undergraduate degree in biotechnology and an MSPH in tropical medicine, I
specifically looked for a PhD program that would enable me to focus on the diverse
challenges facing water resources in tropical regions, particularly in Africa. At Tufts,
I'm fortunate to count an immunologist, an epidemiologist, and a professional engineer/water
chemist among my advisors as I seek to address the problem of schistosomiasis, a disease
caused by a parasitic worm transmitted by water."

Karen Kosinski, PhD candidate in Environmental and Water Resources
Engineering

"The great strengths of the program are the very interested and interesting faculty and the very interested and interesting
students. There's a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, and willingness to think outside
the box and work with other people. And a tremendous expertise – both students and faculty
who come from diverse backgrounds and disciplines."

"If you think about the themes Tufts has articulated – internationalism, public service,
life sciences, interdisciplinary work – WSSS is right in the middle of it. What former
Tufts president Jean Mayer said about nutrition is just as true of water: It is not a
discipline. It's a focus, a problem to be solved. This program plays to Tufts' strengths
and the areas in which we excel. This issue isn't going away anytime soon, and we want
this program to be a permanent entity. To Tufts' credit, the WSSS program represents a
long-term commitment to this topic."

"WSSS works at Tufts because we have strong support from the administration, a creative
faculty, few boundaries between schools, and dedicated students. We also have Tufts'
tradition of focusing on internationalism, environmental issues, and public service.
The school attracts students who want to make a difference; the water program attracts
people who believe in this issue as the way to make that difference."

"Putting together an interdisciplinary program at a large research university like
Tufts is no small task. The WSSS program, which has been evolving over the past four
years, now provides a unique interdisciplinary graduate program unequaled at US
universities. It has generated widespread faculty support and student interest within
the university. It is also receiving attention from outside the university, particularly
in water agencies that view their own futures as being largely driven by interdisciplinary
and sustainability issues."

The Water: Systems, Science and Society (WSSS) program is a graduate research and education program that provides Tufts students with interdisciplinary perspectives and tools to manage water-related problems around the world.